


Euphuism

by sadifura



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Literary Theory, Spoilers, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25436863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadifura/pseuds/sadifura
Summary: As Snake lies in the coffin, at the mercy of a time loop only he notices, he ponders what could possibly save his, and all of the participant's lives, from Gentaro Hongou and Zero.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Euphuism

**Author's Note:**

> finished the safe?? route i think???? and it was REALLY good. thought of this concept: what if snake is in a timeloop and is conscious of every single time it loops. i really liek time loops sorry
> 
> i do not own the characters or concepts of 999, kohei horikoshi does.

Euphuism: a style of literary works made up to be as fanciful, decadent, and artificially elegant. Thus, a style that Snake neatly personified. Euphuism, however, had another definition: that of a style marked by emphasis on balance, antithesis, and duality; in other words, it was the man opposite to him, Ace, that embodied it. 

Dualistic could surely define his sister, Clover; a girl prone to excessive trustfulness and kindness as she was as equally prone to distrusting people to such an extent as to maim and murder a person. It’s funny, how his worst enemy could also have the same dualistic quality as his sister---nay, his best, and only friend.

As he woke up in the coffin, he began to remember something; something from another time. Perhaps, another moment in space would be more accurate, as it hadn’t even occurred this time too.

“Kill...you…”

Yes, Snake had resolved to kill Ace that time. He remembers being shot in the chest, multiple times. 

No.

Not Ace; Gentaro Hongou. The damned man who set up that experiment---the Nonary Game.  
Yet, he kept going, as if he were a revenant. 

It’s funny, how revenant and revenge had the same root word, although revenge comes from Old Occitan instead of French; that word was revenir, or “to come back”. 

Certainly, Snake kept coming back as he was being shot.

And there’s another root word of revenge that drove him: the Latin vindico. Vindico coming from “vindex”, protector, and “dico”, devote. 

There’s two ways one can take this; the vindico is a protector devoted to the person or cause they’re protecting, or someone who has failed to protect, and is devoted to avenging their fallen.

This applied to Snake, too; he was Clover’s protector, her beloved older brother, devoted to keeping her safe and warm. He would be there to give her warm hugs and comfort her when she cries; he would be there to warmly scold her when she does something wrong, and tell her it’s ok when she cries at the thought of getting punished. He would be there to keep her safe.

And, in another timeline, he had failed to protect Clover, the one he was devoted to most. So he turned that devotion into vengeance, into sheer, hot rage. 

And that rage translated to the sheer killing intent of either killing Gentaro Hongou, or letting him die.

Simply put, if he died, Gentaro Hongou was going to die with him. 

He remembered the flames enveloping him as he watched Gentaro panic and struggle, acting almost as pathetic as a mouse.

Some host of The Nonary Games. To think, he thought, nine years ago, I was scared of you?

Pah.

Who would ever find a rotten, animalistic automaton like him terrifying?

Now that he knew his real colors, the real reactions that came out under desperation, he knew he had to change the ending --- change it so everyone, except Hongou, got out.

And now, locked in this coffin of his as part of his plan, he knew what would set this plan into motion.

Junpei Tenmyouji.

Yes, Junpei Tenmyouji, an antithesis of Hongou, as intelligent and charismatic as he but with an actual human heart and soul, would save him --- no, everyone on the ship.

And euphuism was the answer to this.


End file.
